Step Brother
by laurel alex
Summary: No Wings. When Max's mom remarries, who knew that Max would fall for her new step brother Fang? Yeah, I know, the summary is short and it sux. But please R&R! Thanks!  FAX FAX FAX!
1. Chapter 1

Step Brother

_Prologue_

_I'll admit, I've made many mistakes. . . _many _mistakes, let me tell ya:_

_Number 1) I "accidentally" kicked my little sisters dog (Total) across the room one time when I was mad . . . in my defense, I was pissed off at the moment and I didn't know that the dog was right under my foot – it was an accident just waiting to happen really._

_Number 2) I eat _way _too much junk-food, and just by doing so I've probably shaved off about 10 years of my life . . ._

_Number 3) I think too highly of myself, so I always think that I'm right (which I always am, just saying!)_

_Number 4) Once when I was fostering a littler of puppies (my mom and I have been a foster home for dogs for about 11 years) by mistake I fed the pups the wrong puppy food, causing _all _of them to have the runs for weeks . . . And guess who had to clean up all their poopies?_

_Lets just say that I've made too many mistakes to keep track of, kay? But there's still one mistake that stands out from all the rest . . ._

_Lastly, number 5) I fell in love with my step brother . . . _

_

* * *

_MPOV

"Max! Get out of the shower!" Gazzy yelled from outside of the bathroom I was in. His small fist banged and pounded on the door, wailing on it. "You've been in there for almost an hour!"

The warm water of my shower rushed down my body and I sighed, "So not happening!"

There was no way in gods name was I getting out of the shower today. No way in hell. Not today.

"But Max! Jeb's bringing over his two kids today! They're finally moving in today!" Gazzy yelled excitedly.

I shuttered, "Gazzy, if I didn't come to Mom and Jebs wedding, and see them get married, why the hell would I want to meet his two sons?" I asked him dumbly as I squirted a hand full of shampoo into my sun-streaked blonde hair.

"Maybe because they're going to be our step brothers now?" He shot back.

Okay, so he had a point. But it didn't change my mind either way.

"I'm not getting out of the shower," I told him firmly.

Gaz mumbled something about having a "too-stubborn-to-deal-with sister sucks" . . . whatever that meant.

My mind just wandered off and time just flew by as I relaxed in the shower . . .

* * *

FPOV

Finally, I loaded the last box into the car trunk that was labled "Fang's Belongings" on the front of it. Iggy, my brother, was still hauling a suitcase full of his things out of the doorway of our house when I jumped into the car. I plugged in my black headphones to my ipod and started playing one of my many favorite songs, Hero by Nickleback.

"A little help here, bro?" Iggy yelled, trying to get my attention as he tripped over his humongous suitcase.

I ignored him and turned up the volume to my music.

Today. Today my dad (Jeb), Iggy, and I were moving into my dads wifes house; my new step moms home. Jeb and his new wife (Dr Martinez) had just come home from their honeymoon a few days ago, and they were all too eager to have us too families move in with each other. Dr Martinez was pretty nice. Her kids were alright. Well, at least the ones that I'd met before. Iggy and I still had yet to meet the eldest daughter, Max. She hadn't bothered to get to know us. She hadn't even shown up at the wedding. And seriously, what kind of a daughter doesn't show up at their parents' wedding? I was there for my dad, but Max wasn't for her mom. I already didn't like the sound of this girl . . . she must be some spoiled brat or something. Didn't sound to me that she was the brightest crayon in the coloring box, if you know what I mean . . .

But anyways, I guess that I was a little excited about moving into the Martinez's house – not that I would let anyone know, or tell anyone, but it was change, and I like change anyways. Maybe it would be a good fresh start for me . . . I needed that. I needed to forget about that one regretful night only a couple months ago that changed me forever . . .

"Hey!" Iggy yelled at me as he hopped into the car and sat down next to me "No hablas es ingles?"

"Shut up, you idiot," I replied to him curtly.

"Jeez, I guess someone got off the wrong side of his coffin this morning," Iggy joked, then cracked up laughing.

Sighing, I turned up my ipod as loud as it would go. This was going to be one long car ride to the Martinez's house . . .

* * *

MPOV

I was just turning off my shower when I heard the front door to the house open. Then there was many squeals of delight and joyful shouts that followed. Nudge, my sister, had told me that when she had first met the tow sons of Jeb, that they were both hot. She said one of the boys name was Iggy, he was my age – 15. Then there was the oldest son, Fang. Nudge had said that his real name was Nick, but he didn't like that name for some reason. Ha ha! He was probably some dork that thought the name Fang was cool! What did he think? That he was some sort of _vampire_? Ha ha ha!

He was one year older than me, 16. Whatever. He better not think that just because he was the oldest kid in my house now that he had the most power . . . No way. That was _me._

Angel, my adorable youngest sister who was 6 years old, lightly tapped on the bathroom door, "Max, please come out to meet our new family," she said in that very convincing angelic voice of hers. I could just picture her giving me the Bambi eyes and I gave up . . .

Sighing, I called back to her, "Kay, Ange, I'll be out in a couple of minutes, alright?"

"Okay, Max!" She said in a cheerful voice.

So, I heard that Jeb and his kids had come from Boca Raton (Florida) all the way here, to where me and my family were, in Miami Florida. It was about a 45 minute drive from each place.

I stepped out of the shower and yanked a comb through my long curly blonde hair. I dried off, wrapped a towel around myself and walked out of the shower – and slammed right into someone.

* * *

FPOV

Jeb knocked on the door of the tall stone mansion that over looked the shoreline of Miami's beaches. He was acting so casual, like every day he starts a new life with his new wife, but I knew it was all just a facade, and on the inside, in his mind he was in panic mode.

"I want you boys to be on your best behavior," Jeb told us for the millionth time. "No goofing off."

Iggy and I nodded again for the millionth time. I knew that Iggy was lying though. You could just tell by the look in his eyes. He was already plotting something . . . But Dad was too anxious at the moment to notice.

Finally, the door opened, and there stood Dr Martinez, her long glossy black hair pulled into a bun, and her dark copper tan skin glowing with happiness. She gave us a brightly white smile then called down the hallway with a sweet motherly voice, "Kid's they're here!"

Nudge, Ella, Gazzy, and Angel, all piled into the door entrance – still no Max.

We'd already met Nudge (who was 11), Ella (who was 14), Gazzy (who was 8), and Angel (who was 6 years old) a couple times before and during the wedding. We had all going out to hang with each other to get to know each other. I think that Iggy and Ella might have a crush on each other . . .

"Please, come in," Dr Martinez (Dr because she was a vet) told us. Her kids came out to help us take all of our boxes, suitcases and belongings inside.

"I don't need any help," I told Gazzy in a cold serious voice when he tried grabbing one of my bags out of the car. He backed away with a cautious look on his face. Unlike Iggy, I hadn't bothered to make friends.

Everyone else was already inside the large mansion, helping Iggy get his things into his new room I guessed. I was left outside alone, gathering all of my things together.

Finally, when I had a grip on everything, I started walking my way inside. I turned down one of the hallways, in hope of finding my room – only to be bumped into someone who was walking out of the bathroom.

"Ooff!" She said as she tripped over one of my bags. She clutched the thin towel around her small lean body as she hit the floor.

I lost my balance and slipped onto the floor down next to her, "Dammit!"

"Watch where you're going!" She yelled at me.

I turned around to face her and got a better look at her.

She had very large, dark brown eyes with flecks of hazel, that were rimmed with thick long black lashes. She had full light pink lips and white teeth. Her skin looked smooth and soft and had a slight tan from the intense sun outside. Her cheeks had a small tint of color to them and across her face were scattered a couple of freckles so small, you would have to be so close to her face like I was just to see them. Perched high were sarcastic eyebrows, and her long damp golden blonde hair fell in loose ringlets down her narrow back.

She was . . . beyond gorgeous. Any model would give up their life just to have a small resemblance to her, you could assume.

I was without words. She gave me a look that said "Are you just going to sit there like an idiot or say something?" But the problem was I didn't know what to say.

"Uh, I'm Max." She said, "And who are you? Iggy? Or Fang?"

"Fang," I told her with as little amount as emotion as I could, "And I'm one of your new step brothers."


	2. Chapter 2

**I'd like to dedicate this chapter to animal abuse awareness. My family has been fostering puppies for more than 11 years and I've heard stories about misused and abused dogs that have broken my heart. Please, go to petfinder .com and learn more about it. Thanks for all the reviews already! please R&R this chapter! Thanks!**

Step Brother 2

Chapter 2

MPOV

"Ooff!" I said as I began to fall. Whoever I'd run into had a rock solid chest because that HURTTTT!

I grabbed onto my towel that clung to my still-wet skin and hit the ground. I looked up at who I ran into, my eyes burning with rage.

"Dammit!" He said as he lost his balance and smacked down to the ground next to me.

"Watch where you're going!" I scolded him.

I looked over to him and found myself staring into his intensely dark brown eyes. They were so dark it was hard to find his pupil. His skin was a sheer natural tan, smooth and perfect. Not one blemish or freckle was visible. His glossy dark chocolate brown hair fell right into his eyes, and his lips, oh my god, they were so desirable . . .

_SNAP OUT OF IT! _I yelled at myself mentally.

I gave him an impatient look, but he said nothing.

"Uh, I'm Max," I told him simply, "And who are you? Iggy? Or Fang?"

"Fang," he replied to me impasivly, like he was afraid to show too much emotion . . . "And I'm one of your new step brothers."

"Well," I said, "Isn't that just peachy."

Fang got up from the ground then held out his hand for me to grab onto. Once he had helped me up, realization dawned on me: I was still only wearing a towel.

Heat rushed to my cheeks and I hurried to my room, slamming the door behind me on my way inside.

"Jeez," I said, sinking my back against the door.

* * *

FPOV

I helped pull Max off of the floor, then before I could ask her if she knew where my room was, she ran off.

"Well," I muttered to myself as I grabbed all my things again, "That was nice."

Finally, I had found my room. How did I know that it was my room? Angel had tapped a piece of paper on the door that said "Fang's Room, Luv Angel. P.S. I luv u big brother!" Angel really was the only person that I liked. She was too sweet.

I smiled at the note then pushed the door open to my room.

The room was really big – I wasn't surprised. The walls were painted black, just like I'd asked them to be. The floor was lined with a thin black rug and was soft at the touch. At the four windows and the balcony windows hung long grey drapes that were thin enough to let light through. The bed was huge, and had many pillows piled on top to match the dark colored sheets. Dim redwood furniture and tables that were similar to the bed frame surrounded the room neatly. All in all, the room was better than I could ever imagine.

After I'd put most of my things away in the drawers, I decided to see who had the room next to mine.

I knocked on the door and it swung open – and there stood Max, pulling on a sweatshirt over top of her T-shirt and jeans.

"What?" She hissed as she adjusted the hood.

I put my hands up in mock defense. "Nothing, I was just wondering who had the room next to mine, jeez!" I spun around, about to leave, shocked that I'd said so much, but she grabbed me by the wrist and turned me back around to face her.

"Look, I'm sorry, ok? It's just that . . . my mom marrying your dad . . . It all just happened so fast." She looked surprised that she's admitted all that.

I nodded, understanding every word. "Yeah, I get it."

She sighed, "Okay, thanks."

"Yeah, sure, no problem." I rolled my eyes.

Her eyes narrowed at me. "Watch yourself." She warned me.

"Mhmm, yeah, yeah, yeah."

We stood there in silence and then all of a sudden, there was a high pitched yelp from down the hallway.

Max's eyes widened then she rushed down the hall to where numerous yelps began to form.

When I entered the room, I saw Max kneeling down to open a large crate that had several small puppies, all different colors. I couldn't figure out their breed though.

"They just woke up from their nap," Max explained to me, "Now they have to go outside to go potty." She looked at one of the puppies and then picked the puppy up delicately in her hands. Max smiled and kissed the puppy on the tip of it's nose when it licked her on the cheek. "Come on, pups!" She said to them. They all followed her as she opened the door and they charged outside.

Max closed the door behind them. "I'll let them inside in a couple of minutes. They get distracted for a little while before they realize they have to go potty."

I raised my eye brows at her.

"What?" She said all to innocently.

"Are they all your puppies?" I asked her.

Her eyes widened, "Oh, no. Ha ha! No, no, no. They're foster pups. Ya know, rescue dogs? My mom and I work for an organization that saves dogs from being euthanized. Those pups that I just put outside were found on the streets after their mom got killed somehow. They were taken to The Pound and were going to be put to sleep, but we rescued them. We're a foster home for them until they get adopted out to someone that's approved and guaranteed to take good care of them."

"Wow." That's all I said.

"Ha, yeah . . ." She sighed and looked out the door where all the puppies were playing outside in her backyard. "There's just not enough homes for all the dogs in the world," she whispered.

"So, even if people like you help save the dogs, their still going to be dogs that are . . . killed?" I asked her, breathless.

She nodded slowly, "So many. And there's really nothing that I can do about it no matter how much it kills me inside."

I never knew that. I never knew that so many dogs were being killed. I never knew that people like Max try and save them . . .

"Tell me more?" I asked her. I was truly interested.

She smiled, "Sure. What else do you want to know?"

"Uhm, how long do the dogs stay with you?" I asked her.

Max puckered her lips, thinking. "Well . . . it all depends. Usually, pure breed dogs get adopted quicker than the mixed breeds, like the pups outside. They're a cross between a Labrador and German Sheppard, we think. You can tell by some of the characteristics and physical features that they have. Like, the color of they coats, how big their paws are, the shape of their faces . . . But anyways, sometimes, it takes only a week or two for some of the puppies to be adopted. Sometimes it can take up months. Like I said, it all depends."

I nodded, "Where do some of the dogs come from?"

"Some come from the streets, Puppy Mills, the woods . . . sometimes owners buy the dogs thinking that it would be a great pet, but then they realize that they take a lot of responsibility to handle. So, they give them up." She shrugged. "Have you seen Angels dog? Total?"

"Yeah."

"Well, he was adopted too, by us. The story for him was that some parents got him as a Christmas present for their little girl when Total was just a pup. The girl loved him and everything, sure. But she couldn't handle the responsibility. So, the parents gave up the dog to my families rescue program."

"Oh, wow." I scratched my head. "Are the dogs hard to handle?"

"Uhm, well, my mom and I are pretty experience with dogs. We've been a foster family for about 11 years. Sometimes they cry at night, and we can't get any sleep. Sometimes they poop or pee in the crate. Sometimes they play too rough and scratch you. Sometimes they rip things to shreds . . . But in the end it's all worth it. My mom and I know that we've saved another life and given them to a family that will take care of them and give the dog everything that it needs. It's all worth everything in the end when they have to leave."

I smiled at her, "That sounds really . . . nice."

She chuckled, "Yeah. Yeah, I guess so. . . . any other questions?"

"Uhm, is the job . . . pricey?" I wondered.

"You mean, money-wise?"

I nodded to her.

"Well, yeah. We have to pay to give the dogs their shots, check ups, food, toys, crates, extra medical care that they may need, like if they have worms in their stomach," Her nose scrunched up. "I won't tell you the interesting details on that . . . ha ha. But, all in all, each dog is equivalent to a life. And one life is a big deal, so we pay every dime to make sure that they're ok." She sighed.

"Where do you get the money from?" I pressed.

She frowned. "I try making enough money, I really do. I have two jobs already. Working at the mall, and also working at a local horse farm. But, sometimes it isn't enough money. So, when I don't have enough money, I can't foster the puppies. And when I can't foster the puppies, more dogs are killed."

"Doesn't your mom help pay?"

"She does sometimes, but she needs some of the money two for her patients. And, she tries putting at much money into my college funds and all of Ella's, Nudge's, Gazzy, and Angel's too. She tries paying for a family of five kids. That's a pretty big job if you ask me."

"Yeah, I guess it is."

"Mhmm, any other questions?" She asked me.

I smiled, "Not right now, but probably later."

She laughed and it sounded like the most beautiful, glorious, effortless sound in this whole world. All I wanted was to make her laugh again . . .

"Well, we should probably let the dogs back inside now. I still have to feed them their dinner." She started walking towards the door, "Do you wanna help feed them?"

I nodded eagerly and she laughed again, "I'd love to help."

**I'd like to dedicate this chapter to animal abuse awareness. My family has been fostering puppies for more than 11 years and I've heard stories about misused and abused dogs that have broken my heart. Please, go to petfinder .com and learn more about it. Thanks for all the reviews already! please R&R this chapter! Thanks!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey! thanks for all the reviews and sweet comments about the last chapter. I already love all of ya'll! heheh, I said ya'll . . . Anyways! Here's the next chapter and I hope that you enjoy it! Please tell me if you don't like something so that I can make the story better! Please R&R! Thank you viewers!**

Step Brother

Chapter 3

MPOV

Fang nodded his head, "I'd love to help."

I smiled at him. "Okay . . . so usually, instead of feeding each dog an individual bowl of food, since if we do that the first bowl of food we give to them all of them will swarm around that one thing of food, I take a big cooking pan – cleaned – and put about four scoops of puppy food onto it. Then, I put a little water on the food so that it gets moister. I do that so that when the puppies eat it, it'll be easier on their teeth since their teeth are fragile and still baby teeth, and might break simply. I also do this because they can swallow and digest it better while they're still puppies."

"Huh. I guess that makes sense . . ." Fang said.

"Yeah, it does." I rolled my eyes. "Can you go get the bag full of puppy food from the kitchen? It's leaning against the center island."

"'Kay, be right back," he told me as he dashed to the kitchen. He came back, almost tripping on the rug, his arms wrapped around the large puppy food bag, his eyes just peeking over the rim of the bag.

I swallowed back my laughter.

Fang kneeled down and then put the bag on the ground.

"No!" I yelled rushing over to the puppy food. "Pick it up! Now!"

All the puppies started rushing over to the bag of food and pushed it over. Puppy food spilled everywhere and the pups gobbled it up happily.

"No . . . ughh," I said tiredly.

Fang looked down at me – since he was about two heads taller – sheepishly and muttered an apology, "Oops . . . Sorry."

I shook my head, "It's fine . . . you just have to help me clean this up."

* * *

FPOV

After I'd help clean up every single speck of puppy food off of the floor, we decided to let the puppies rest again, so I asked her if she would show me around town.

Since Max didn't have her driver's license yet, I drove us and she directed me. I didn't know where she was taking me though . . . She hadn't bothered to tell me.

Iggy had wanted to come along with us because he thought Max was hot . . . that didn't exactly make me happy when he told me he thought that . . . no, actually it made me mad.

"When are we gonna get there?" Iggy whined again over and over from the backseat of my car.

"Shut up and quite whining like a baby," Max snapped at him.

He was silent while I tried to concentrate and keep my eyes on the road instead of laughing. Huh. Me. Laughing. That was odd . . . I barely ever laugh.

"Make a left," Max instructed me.

As I turned left, something amazing came into view:

Bright city lights glittered against the navy blue sky of the night, cars rushed by, the moon's reflection gleamed against the soft current of the dark inexplicable ocean, noises were everywhere and everything was so . . . lively.

"Whoa." Iggy and I said together in unison, our voice's hushed as we stared at the city in wonderment.

"Welcome to downtown Miami, Boys," Max told us in breathless anticipation. "Let the fun begin."

**Okay, really short, right? But I had friends coming over tonight and I had to write this in sort of a rush since I was busy all day . . . and I wanted a LITTLE cliffhanger . . . I'll try and update tomorrow! Thank you again for reading! Thank you so much, please R&R!**


	4. Chapter 4

Hey, sorry, I wont be able to update for a day or two because my computer is acting weird... I have to have someone fix it. So im really sorry viewers. I'll be about to post the next chapter soon.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey, so my computer is F-I-X-E-D! YESSSSS! Thank the lord! hahaha ok, so back to the story. I really hope you like this chapter! There's a little Faxness (or a lot) please R&R and ENJOY!  
**

Step Brother 4(2)

Chapter 4

FPOV

"Why'd you decide to take us to downtown Miami?" I asked Max.

She looked out her window, and I could see her reflection – she was smiling thoughtfully. "I don't know. Downtown Miami is somewhere I go with my friends to hang out. There's pretty much everything there."

Iggy sat up a little straighter in his seat, "Like what?"

Max shrugged, "Shops, food, game areas, _so _much stuff. I can't even name it all."

"Huh." Iggy slumped back in his seat.

"Where's a parking garage?" I asked Max.

She directed me to the nearest parking garage. We ended up parking on the top level, because every single spot on the lower levels were taken. There were so many people I guess.

"Is it usually this crowded on a week day?" I questioned Max.

She laughed, and it was such a heavenly sound. "This, today, is a slow day. There aren't as many people here today as there are on weekends. Trust me."

My eyes widened. I looked around me; at the traffic, the large population of people rushing past us, the tall buildings that surrounded us . . . it was impossible to imagine this place with any more people than there already were.

"Fang. It's a city. Cities aren't exactly rural places . . . ya know, they get really populated . . ." She told me dumbly.

I gave a soft, forced laugh. "Heh, right . . . yeah."

"Hah hah, yeah!" Max said. "So what do you guys wanna do?"

I shrugged. Iggy gave a look that said he was thinking. "How about you call some of your friends to come down here so that we can meet them. Then we could all hang out and do something."

Max nodded. "That sounds like a good idea. Hold on, let me call them." She whipped out her cell phone and made about five different phone calls.

She turned back to us. "Okay, so my friend Sam is gonna drive everyone in his SUV. They'll be here in a little while."

* * *

MPOV

_30 minutes later . . ._

"Yo! Max!" I turned around to see Sam, his green eyes luminous in the evening night, and his tousled light brown hair looked like it had a little gel in it, to spike up a couple pieces of his hair at the top. His smile was a blinding white as he grinned at me. He opened up his arms.

Smiling with him, I walked over and excepted his hug, ignoring the nagging inside my head that kept reminding me that _I hate physical contact. _He smelled like fresh pine.

"Good to see ya, Max!" He told me as I broke apart from his strong embrace around me.

"Yeah, you too," I said calmly.

"Max!"

I looked behind Sam's large muscular torso and saw my best friend Nycole running over to me. Her long straight auburn hair fell in layers all the way down her back. Her light russet eyes widened.

Her, being my best friend, she knew not to give me a hug. I loved that about her, how she knew me better than I knew myself. "I missed you so much!"

I laughed, "I missed you too, I haven't seen you since . . . this morning!"

"Yeah! I love your new pajama bottoms by the way. I need to barrow them sometime!" She laughed along with me.

Actually, she saw me this morning because after I'd woken up I went down to the mailbox at the end of our long driveway to get the mail and newspaper. I was still in my PJ's. I looked over at the mailbox next to mine, and there was Nycole! She was my neighbor, so there really wasn't a day that I didn't see her. Saying that we missed each other was just a joke that we had.

Trailing not too far behind Nycole was three more friends of mine: Dylan, Evan, and Ari.

They were all on the school's football team, including Sam, and all of them except Evan were 16 years old. Evan was still 15 like me and Iggy.

Dylan was tall and stocky, built with muscle just like Sam. So was Evan. Dylan had crystal clear blue eyes, tan skin and a short blonde buzz cut. He was taller than me. Well, all the guys were pretty much taller than me, which really sucked.

Evan had nice clear skin, green eyes that would change to gray, to hazel to an olive-ish color. He had long lashes too that framed those eyes. He had full lips, and short curly sandy blonde hair. A lot of people thought we were twins, because he looked so much like me except for the eyes.

And then there was Ari. He had jet black hair, and grey eyes. His hair was straight and was pulled back into a very short pony-tail. Ari was leaner and built more on his heights. He was the tallest out of all of us. He had sharp striking features and an angular jaw. His lips were thin and always turned up in a mocking smile that could make anyone happy.

"Okay, hey guys, this is Fang–" I motioned to him, "–And this is Iggy," I told them as pointed to Iggy.

Everyone said there hi's and introduced themselves. Fang kept a stern eye on him after he'd given me a hug . . . hmm I wondered why.

"So, why don't we catch a bite to eat, then we can go walk around the lake?" Nycole offered. Everyone agreed excitedly, and once again I was happy that I'd invited her to come along with us.

We decided on eating at a Chinese Restaurant.

The waiter came to our table and gave everyone an eggroll as an appetizer. Everyone started eating it but me.

Fang nudged me from the side – he was sitting next to me – he gave me an odd look, "Why aren't you eating?"

"Is there beef and shrimp in the eggroll?" I said, answering a question with a question.

He raised his eyebrows at me, and then glanced at his eggroll. "Uh, yeah? So?" He asked curiously.

I pushed my plate away. "Then I can't eat it."

"Why–"

"Because I'm a vegetarian," I said sheepishly.

Nycole nodded. "Yeah, she's been a vegetarian ever since her mom let her in the 6th grade. She never had one slip up, never even accidentally ate a piece of meat."

"Huh." Fang said. "Do you eat seafood?"

I thought about it for a second. "I guess I'll eat crabs sometimes, but I still don't feel right about it."

Sam laughed. "Yeah, last time she came over to my house, my mom was making seafood. It took 2 hours of coaxing to get her to take one bite of the crab cakes my mom had made." He chuckled again, and for a second it looked like Fang was strangling him with his eyes . . . I kicked him under the table.

"Ouch!" He looked back over at me with a look that said _what the hell was that for?_

I raised an eyebrow and then glanced at Sam then back to him.

Fang looked at his food without interest.

I eyed him.

After we'd put our orders of food in, we had friendly conversations around the whole table. When our food came (my vegetable and tofu dumplings and steamed veggies) all that could be heard around the table was everyone complementing on how much they like their food.

After we'd paid for our dinners, we all started walking towards the lake. It was getting dark outside so the city lights lit up the waters with colors. Surrounding around the large lake was a long pathway that we started walking on.

Fang and I were walking a little slower, putting a little distance between the rest of the group and us as we walked. Iggy was socializing like crazy with everyone else.

* * *

FPOV

Max and I were pretty much playing 20 questions with each other. We just couldn't seem to run out of things to ask each other.

"What's your favorite music?" I asked as I kicked a pebble on the side of the sidewalk.

"It depends. I like pretty much all rock, some classic rock, and then if it really has a lot of meaning to it, I like a little rap." She said solicitously and then nodded at her answer. There was a slight breeze and goose bumps rose on Max bare arms.

I shrugged off my leather jacket and wrapped it around her, securing it on her by zipping it up.

She smiled at me, her eyes saying thanks.

"Yeah, that's . . . exactly the same with me," I nodded a little stunned.

"What's your favorite color?" Max asked lamely.

I smiled, "Black. And I'm not emo, it's just a suitable color. What about you?"

She looked over at the lake. "Ya see how dark and blue the lake is?"

I nodded.

"That's my favorite color. Dark, dark blue," she said.

Huh. That was my second favorite color. "When's your birthday?"

"October 10th. Yours?" She looked at me.

"October 11th . . ." I said slowly. "And I'm one year older."

Max smiled. "So . . . you're one year and one day older than me . . ."

"Yep."

She shook her head than laughed.

"So do you play any sports?" I asked, curious again bye her.

Her eyes were bright in the dark lighting, and for some reason I couldn't explain I just wanted to stare into them all night long. "Yeah, I'm on my schools swim team, cross country, and I also play lacrosse and soccer during the fall and spring."

"Wow," I said.

"Ha ha yeah, so do you play any sports?" She asked me.

"Uhm, yeah, I used to play a little football for my last school, and also I play lacrosse too," I smiled.

She smiled back, and the world seemed a whole lot brighter.

**So how did you like it? Please tell me with a review... i know you want to! Please, please, pleaseeeeeeee hahah ok, so I'll update either tommorow or the day after. Please R&R! Thank you so much for reading!**

**~Laurel~  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi ya viewers! So here is the next chapter! I really hope that you like it! Hahah, I like this chapter myself, actually. So, I hope that you enjoy and please, please, PLEASE, R&R at the end when you're done reading! Thank you!**

Step Brother 5

Chapter 5

MPOV

"Ha ha yeah, so do you play any sports?" I asked him.

"Uhm, yeah, I used to play a little football for my last school, and also I play lacrosse too," Fang smiled.

I smiled back at him, and his face seemed to light up at this gesture.

"Max!" Sam yelled. "And . . . uh, Fang. Come on up here with the rest of us! We've barely talked this whole night!"

I gave a sheepish smile to Fang and then ran up besides Sam. Fang followed along, dragging his feet and looking down at the ground.

Sam gave one look at Fang, and then turned his head to me, smiling like an idiot. "So, Max, Evan, Ari and I were going to come back to my house to have a movie night once we get home tonight . . . you and Nycole wanna come?" His eyes were pleading.

"Uhh . . ." I gave one glance at Fang and Iggy.

Sighing heavily, and rolled his eyes Sam offered, "They can come too, if they want."

My eyes narrowed at him, and his eyebrows rose. I shook my head, waving off those little gestures he'd made. I looked over at Iggy and Fang. "You guys wanna come to movie night?"

Iggy's face light up like a candle. "Yeah! Defiantly!"

Fang nodded solemnly, "Sure."

Evan smiled, "I'll call Nudge and Ella, and see if they wanna come too . . ."

I nodded in agreement. I think Evan might like Nudge . . . he was always so happy and excited whenever she came around.

"What movie are we gonna watch?" Iggy asked eagerly.

"More like what _movies. _We usually end up watching movies until like four in the morning," Ari said, grinning.

Iggy laughed, "Cool! So what movies are we watching then?"

Sam shrugged. "I don't know. We'll have to see what's on TV then buy any movie that looks good."

"Sounds good to me," Iggy said, nodding.

* * *

FPOV

I know for a fact that Sam didn't want me here, at his large mansion of a house for movie night. I know for a fact that he only invited me so he didn't seem like a bad person to Max.

It's all true. You can just tell by the look on his face whenever he looks at me that he hates me . . . because of Max I think. Because Max is actually my friend.

I think.

"Follow me," Sam told Iggy and I. We followed him down a long set of stairs and came to his basement, where a large theater room was set up. There was a giant movie screen at one end of the room and then on the other, there were a dozen or so movie chairs, only they were cushioned and had recline-able foot lifts. At a corner of the room, there was a popcorn machine that was booming like crazy and giving off a heavy aroma of butter. Also, there was surround sound speakers all around the room, and a huge shelf of movies and CD's were lined up at the side of a wall.

"Oh . . . My . . . God." Iggy said, emphasizing each word. His face was priceless. Where was a god damn camera when ya needed one?

Someone came running down the stairs, and Sam smile brightly when he saw who it was. I turned around and Max was leaning on the doorway casually. "So, Sam showed you guys the movie room . . . what do you think?"

"This is amazing!" Iggy yelled, shaking Max's shoulders.

She laughed and plied Iggy's hands off of her. "Good. Glad ya like it. Because our house is the same model as Sam's since we live in the same neighborhood. We have a movie room almost just like this."

Iggy froze and a precious, gleaming smile rose on his face. "I love this place," he said in a hushed voice.

We all laughed at him.

"Oh, and Sam?" Max said.

"Yes?" Sam asked her, his face glowing once she said his name.

I resisted the urge to throw up.

She pointed back up the stairs over her shoulder. "Ari and Evan found your Playboy magazine stash in your room, and their raiding it. Just thought I'd let ya know." She bit her lip to keep from smiling.

Sam's eyes widened, "Uhm . . . I'll be right back," he said lowly. Then, once he'd calmly walked past Max, and he thought she wasn't looking, he started running up the stairs as if his life depended on it. "Ari! Evan! Get your sticky little hands away from my magazines!" You could hear them wrestling around in his room from all the way downstairs.

She laughed as she walked over to the shelf with all the movies on it. "Hmm . . ." She said thoughtfully as she scanned the movies with her eyes. "I don't get how he does this but he has some movies that haven't been released on DVD yet . . . some of them haven't even been viewed at the theater." She shakes her head.

Iggy runs over to see the movies. I come up from behind Max and peek over her shoulder. "What movies look good to you?"

"Uhh . . . I . . ." She pauses as she looks into my eyes. She blinks. "I . . . I'm more in the mood for a scary movie, I guess. That's what I'm looking for right now."

I nodded my approval, "I'd like a scary movie."

She beams.

"Max!" Sam's voice calls for her from up the stairs. "Can you come here for a second? I need your help taking the soda's downstairs, please!"

Her smile fades, and so did my happiness from it. "Be right back." She starts jogging up the stairs, "I'm coming!" She yells.

I look at the floor.

Iggy came up from behind me and clasped his hand on my shoulder and smiled, "You okay, man?"

"What? Yeah, of coarse." I told him quickly.

He gave me a strange look and his eyes wandered up the stairs to where Max was with Sam and then he looked back at me, "You sure?"

I nodded, putting all my feelings away and acting seemingly emotionless. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

He looked back up the stairs and shook his head, "Never mind, dude. I'm gonna go help Max and Sam bring some of the snacks down."

* * *

MPOV

Once Iggy, Sam and I'd brought down various amounts of snacks for the movies (chips, pretzels, candy, popcorn from the machine . . .etc.) we began watching a horror movie, The New Daughter.

It was a pretty freaky movie, I had to admit. It was about a family that had that had just been divorced by their mother that had moved to a new home out in the middle of know-where. I won't go into details on how frightening the movie was.

Sam sat next to me on my left side, and Fang was on my right, both of them not seeming to give a damn about the movie.

Half way through the movie, I noticed Fang tensing up. I gave him an odd look but he shook his head. I second later, I realized Sam's arm was around my chair, barely touching me so I wouldn't notice. I shrugged his arm away and he pouted.

Fang relaxed.

After the movie was finally over, I was a little shaken up. No, not by the movie. Although it was pretty scary. No, I was more aware of the fact that Sam kept trying to make subtle movements during the movie, like leaning towards me, putting his arm around me more than once, staring into my eyes . . . and each time he did that Fang would tense up.

I blinked a couple times. "Uhm . . . any other movies you guys wanna watch?" I looked around at everyone.

Evan and Nudge were huddled up next to each other in their movie seats with each other, and I smiled, thinking of how good of a couple they would be together. Iggy was sitting next to Ella and was holding her hand. She blushed when I saw her. And then there was Nycole and Ari. She was . . . sitting in his lap. And they looked so . . . close.

I raised my eyebrows at her and smiled. She giggled.

"Could we maybe watch a movie that . . . doesn't scare the living daylights out of me?" Nudge suggested. Ella nodded in agreement.

Sam, letting out a breath of air, got up from his seat to go over to the movie selection. "Brooke," his little sister that was two years younger than Nudge, "Wanted this movie. It doesn't come out until 2011 but we have it on DVD. She read all the books in two days since she loved it so much. It's called . . . 'I'd tell you I loved you but then I'd have to kill you.'" He made a face. "It says it's about a girl named Cammi Morgyn that attends an all girls spy school and about how she faces troubles when she meets a guy she likes that can't know about her being a spy . . ."

In my mind, I was screaming _Nooooooo._

But of course, Nudge and Ella loved the idea of the movie, so we ended up watching it.

Finally, after we'd watched two more movies, it was 2 o' clock in the morning. I yawned. "I think I'm gonna go home." Iggy, Nudge, Ella and Fang all nodded.

After we'd said goodbye, we headed home in Fang's car, and I fell asleep.

And somehow, when we drove up our driveway and I woke up from my light sleep, I found my head leaning lightly against Fang's shoulder and him smiling when I woke up to see him . . .

**Tell me, how did ya like this chapter? Please tell me with a review! I know that you wanna hit that review button at the bottom of this page! I know you want to! Sooooo just do it! Hahahaha so, please R&R thank you so much for reading and I hope ya liked it! I'll try and update as soon as I can!**

**~Laurel~**

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	7. Chapter 7

**Okey Dokey, so here is the next chapter! I just want to say that I'm sorry it took so long for me to upload. School started and it's so crazy. But, I love my English teacher, much like I did last year! He's awesome! Ha ha ha. But anyways, please R&R and I hope that you enjoy!**

Step Brother 7

MPOV

_Knock, knock, knock._

I threw a pillow at my locked door. "Go away!" I yelled, my voice muffled as I pulled myself even deeper under my bed covers. "It's too early!"

"Max," came Fangs deep husky voice from the other side of my bedroom door. "It's eleven in the morning. You're mom told me to get you to wake up."

"Well, I'm awake! I'm just not getting out of bed," I tell him.

There's silence, and then I heard Fang asking Angel "Can I borrow your hair clip for a second?" And then there's jiggling on the lock on my door. I sit up and bed and gasp.

_No . . . there is no way in hell he is going to brake into my bedroom using a haircl–_

But I was proven wrong.

Fang glided through my bedroom door with a very pleased look on his face.

"You did not just do that," I said, shaking my head.

"Do what?" He says all-too innocently.

"Pick my lock with a hair clip," I say in a "_duh_" voice.

He shrugged as if it were nothing.

I eyed him then sighing, I got out of bed. "Whatever. Let's go get some breakfast."

_One week later . . ._

FPOV

I took another hair clip from Angel and twisted it inside Max's door lock and jiggled it. The lock popped and I smiled in satisfaction. I walked in and then jumped onto her bed beside her.

"Wha?" Max sputtered and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "What the hell, Fang?"

"First day of school." I look at her and grinned lazily, "Get up."

She groaned and pulled a pillow over top of her head. "Go away!"

I sighed sadly. "Max . . . we can do this the easy way . . . or the hard way."

She said nothing.

"Looks like it's going to be the hard way, then." I got off of her bed. I stood at the side, then scooped her up into my arms. She freaked out.

"Put me down! Let me sleep, you idiot!" She yelled at me.

I slung her over my shoulder and held onto her. "Time to get ready!" I told her as I brought her downstairs.

Dr. M was in the kitchen making some coffee. She smiled when she saw that Max was awake. "Oh, Fang, thank you for waking Max up."

"No prob Dr. M," I say and plop Max down into one of the kitchen chairs. Max scowls at me and crosses her arms, but that only makes me smile brighter.

"Please, honey, you don't have to call me Dr. M," she said modestly.

I scratched my head, "Then . . . uh, what should I call you?"

"Mom," she said simply.

"Got it." I nodded as I started pouring myself a bowl of cereal. "Want some Maxie?" I teased her.

"No." She got up from her seat and ran back up stairs.

Dr. M – I mean Mom – laughed. "She's not much of a morning person, is she?"

I shook my head. "I . . . guess not . . ."

MPOV

Ella paced inside my room and glanced back at my closet and growled in frustration. "You have _nothing _good to wear. Not one thing is wearable. Jeez, Max."

I held my hands up in defense. "So sorry . . ."

She jabs her finger at me. "You should be!"

"God, Ella, calm down a bit!"

She ran her fingers through her silky brown hair. "Sorry. It's just that you're my sister and I want you to look good at school. Like me . . . wait . . . yeah! I got it! You can borrow some of my clothes!"

"Ehh . . ." I gave her and odd look. "I don't think that's such a good idea, El."

She nods quickly. "Yes, yes it is a good idea. It's brilliant." Ella grabs me by my arm and pulls me into her room.

I cover my eyes. "THERE'S TOO MUCH PINK IN HERE."

She rolls her eyes and starts yanking things out of her closet and throwing them at me. "Try those on! Put them on, NOW."

I quickly slid on the clothes not bothering to look at what they were until I saw in the mirror. Ella squealed in delight.

I had on a pair of tight fitting flared jeans with black open toed heels. I wore an olive green cammie that caused my brown eyes to appear the same shade. Hanging over the cammie was a light tan cardigan with scrunched up mid-length sleeves and a lacey back. Although I'd just woken up, my hair hung loosely down my back in smooth glossy waves. I looked tall, lean, and . . . gorgeous. **(A/N this is my favorite outfit! I love it so much! I got it from Nordstrom… just if anyone likes this outfit too, and possibly might want it . . . hahaha) **

"Yes! You have to wear that, Max! Please, you look so hot! I'm sure that Fang will be following you around all day if you wear that!" She says.

I spin around to her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Ella shrugs slowly, innocently. "Well . . . I don't know. It . . . just sorta looks like you too have a . . . thing for each other."

My eyes widen. "A _thing?"_

She sighs. "It just looks like you guys . . . maybe like each other, okay? Don't get mad at me because it's not my fault that it's true!" She says in a rush.

_Fang? Likes me?_

I shook my head. "No, I'm sure he doesn't like me."

"Oh come on, Max! Just look at him! You can so tell that he likes you more than a friend, more than a step sister!" She jumps up and down.

"Stop it," I tell her coolly. Sadness washes over her face and I feel bad all of a sudden that I'd just rained on her parade of happiness. "Look, Fang and I are just friends. I know he doesn't like me like that. I'm sure if it, okay?"

She nods slowly, sadly and goes of to the bathroom leisurely to put on her makeup.

I mentally smack myself in the head.

FPOV

"Why do you have to wear so much of that?" Iggy asks as he looks me up and down.

I shrug and put my hands into the pockets of my black denim jeans. "I don't know, man. It's just such a suitable color." I look him once over. "Why do you have to wear so much of _that?"_ I gesture to his light sky blue T-shirt and blue jeans and white sneakers.

He coughs. "Ella says blue brings out my eyes."

A huge smile spreads across my face. "Oh. I see . . . _Ella."_

Iggy grunts and looks anywhere but at me. "Shut up, man. Max and Ella are just upstairs getting ready. They might be able to hear you!"

I cackle and he punches me in the shoulder. "I'm sorry, man. Really. I am." I keep laughing as I hear someone start walking down the stairs. I turn and Max is walking down them, her cheeks pink with an innocent blush. Her outfit is lean and graceful and she looks like she knows how to wear the heels that she has on. She glides down the stares and her face turns even more read as I gape at her.

She avoids making eye contact with me.

Iggy smiles and nudges me. "Oh. I see . . . _Max."_

**Can ya take a hint? What would that mean if Iggy said that to Fang? Or am I just being a bad writer and make up a bunch of gibberish? Ah ha ha ha . . . Okay, so, just like them, I'm starting school too, and 8****th**** grade is crazyyyyyyy. Eesh. And so is my Spanish teacher. She made my class write a 5 paragraph essay on what we did over summer IN SPANISH. AND SHE HASN'T EVEN TAUGHT US ANYTHING YET. Eesh . . . *Sigh* **

**Please R&R this chapter and I really hoped that you liked it! I'll update soon over the weekend probably.**

**Thank you**

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**~Laurel~**


	8. Chapter 8

**Yeah yeah yeah, short I know. But hey, I'm sorry. I hope you like it anyways. Please R&R! Thanks, and make sure you check out some of my other books. R&R!**

Step Brother 8

MPOV

"Hey, Max. Ya miss me?"

I cringe and try walk down the opposite way the voice had came from, but Ella's heels were hard to walk in. I silently cursed my sister.

"Maxie, baby, why you runnin'," came Sam's deep luring voice.

Okay, when Fang had called me "Maxie" just this morning, it had been as a joke . . . I could deal with that, just because it was Fang.

But here's the thing – Sam is a pervert. And him using my name like that was _supposed_ to sound _sexy _coming from him. But to me, it sent chills running down my back.

"Let me get to my next class, Sam," I hiss at him a tired voice. "You're not even supposed to be in this hallway. 11th graders hallway is _that way_," I tell him, pointing in the direction away from me. "Just in case you've forgotten, this is the _10__th__ grade _hallway," I tease him rudely.

Sam snorts and flashes me a bright smile that gleams and reminds me of just how glossy his all-too-perfect blonde hair is. "Aw, come on, Max. We both know we had a thing for each other last year. Don't try to hide it."

Well, that was true. We had gone out with each other last year, but I'd broken up with him after he'd started getting more . . . _physical _or let's say _touchy _with me. I didn't like that.

I look around myself and find that Sam and I are the only two standing I in the school hallways. Dammit. Where the hell was my freaking Geometry class?

My teeth ground together in frustration, and I looked back down at my schedule card – it just reminded me how much I hate being lost on the first day of school.

"Mhmm, we did," I say in a sweet, angelic voice. His smile broadens as he thinks I'm remember the good time's we'd had together. Only – there was no good times to remember. "But that was then, and this is now. So, get the _hell outa my way_," I tell him, my words like venom. I cock my head to the side and stare daggers at him, daring him to say anything else.

He doesn't get it. He can't take a hint. Sam takes another step towards me – now he's only about six inches from me. I'm close enough to him to count each of his eye lashes now. His smile is still sickly charming. "Always so feisty, baby. I love that." Then, his arms are around me and he's pulling me towards him.

"_Sam_," I warn him. I push myself out of his grasp but that just makes him all the more attracted, it seemed.

"C'mon, sweets, just a kiss." He points to his cheek. "Just one, right here."

"Leave me the hell alone." My eyes frantically search the room numbers boarding the hallways for my Geometry class. I didn't see it.

"Max?" I hear someone's voice from behind me.

I turn around to see Fang, his face filled with concern. He approaches me and Sam muscularly and I can see it in Sam's eyes that he feels intimidated.

"What's going on?" His words are directed at Sam, whose face is vivid.

Sam shrugs. "Nothing. Just tryin' to get some chic action. What's up with you, man?"

Apparently, Sam hadn't gotten the memo that Fang was now my step brother. I smile at how stupid he is acting.

Fang mimics his shrug and takes a step towards me and put an arm around my shoulder, protectively. My stomach slightly flutters at this, but I ignore it. "Nothing. Just checking up on my step sister and some asshole that's trying to hook up with her."

The look on Sam's face is priceless. He looks taken aback, surprised, astonished, _fearful_. My smile widens.

"Oh yeah," I say in a mock-innocent voice. "Did I forget to tell you, Sam? I have two new step brothers." I turn to Fang and gesture to him. I look at Sam with attitude. "This is Fang. He can kick your ass."

**Ah.. I didn't really know how to end the chapter... I wanted Max to sound confident and sure of herself. What did ya'll think? Please tell me with a review. I'll give you halloween candy if you do :)**

**Hahahah lol nvm about that. kk, so R&R!**

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**~Laurel Alex~  
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	9. Chapter 9

I'm sorry I haven't updated in such a long time, and I'm sorry that this still isn't an update. Recently, a friend of mine and so many others has just passed away today after a very traumatizing car-crash from a couple weeks ago. There were, I think, three passengers. Thank God, the other two didn't get hurt, but the other person did. Alex's brain was cut off from oxygen after going into a coma. Through out these past weeks, family, friends, and just ordinary people have prayed for him, sharing stories of how Alex's life couldn't be wasted. And now I know that it won't be, because I know he'll be with God. Alex lived by one motto – Never Back Down. This motto helped him succeed in his very short life; whether it be with grades, or helping his teammates win a crosscountry meet for our high school. At the age of 18, Alex passed away today at 4:03 pm, January 7th 2010, leaving his amazing and loving family behind. Matt, his younger brother in sixth grade, held his hand throughout the whole time. A picture of Matt holding his older brothers hand in the hospital was taken. As Alex left our world, he was surrounded by the people that loved him the most: his mom, dad, and little brother. Now, everyone that know him and some that haven't even seen him before, are living out to his motto. I plan to do so as well. A life like yours can't be wasted, Alex. I know God will take care of you, and I know you're looking down upon us. You will _never _be forgotten, and we know that during your fight for life, you weren't backing down. We love and miss you, Alex. You're in our hearts. Please, say a prayer for Alex and his family tonight. It will make all the difference. Thank you so much for reading.


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